Pagunsan takes solo lead after three rounds

JUVIC Pagunsan proved his worth as he snatched the lead in a rain-drenched third round with three late birdie putts that gave him a 69 for the second straight day and a one-stroke lead over Elmer Salvador in the The Country Club Invitational yesterday at the TCC greens in Canlubang.

In a day when the lead changed hands as fast as the putting surface of the dreaded par-70 layout, Pagunsan found himself on a very familiar place, thanks to a birdie-binge from the par-5 No. 14 that sparked his fight back.

He had a 54-hole haul of 208, one stroke ahead of Salvador, who grabbed the lead right on No. 1 from a big three-shot swing after Pagunsan opened with a double-bogey.

Salvador also wound up with a second straight 69 for a 209.

Carl Santos-Ocampo joins the fancied duo in the championship flight today, also after a 69 for a 211, losing grip of the lead he had wrested after a brilliant eagle feat on the 14th that capped a stirring four-under card in a three-hole stretch from No. 12.

Jayvie Agojo, the lady amateur who showed up the elite field in the first round with a 69 and shared the spotlight with Pagunsan halfway through, succumbed to pressure when paired against Pagunsan and Salvador in the featured flight, bogeying three of the last five holes for a 74 and a 213. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio